Fate
by MoonGirl1155
Summary: Steve Rogers is struggling to recover from his past and accept that his life is now in the future.Alice Carlton is a stubborn, accident prone intern who gets a job that has an unknown catch too.As fate will have it, Alice just happens to move into the apartment right next to Steve's.Will Steve finally come back to reality?Will Alice ever open up?Will fate, take the right course?
1. Chapter 1: Roots to an Odessey

**OK! So here's my random ranting. Yeah, you better get used to it.**

**This is my first Avenger's fanfic so please give me advice! It's mostly Captain America and my OC, but there's a little Black Widow and Iron man later. I mean, come on, who doesn't love Stark? Please Read & Review! Thx! **

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avenger's characters, I only own my OC._**

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**CHAPTER 1:**

Steve counted the numbers in his head.

"_306...307...308_,"

He wasn't even panting, which wasn't good enough. He pumped his arms harder, intent on pushing himself to the limit, determined to wash away the memories.

He could hear the endless racket seeping through the window of his apartment, cars honking, people shouting, and the sounds of the city's beating heart. He shook his head, some things would never change. In a sense, Brooklyn was still the same, just by a quick glance. But if he looked too deeply into it, the list of the differences from now and then, began to run around the block and back. People looked different, acted different, and the technology was amazing. He smiled as he thought of Howard Stark, and how he would have been disappointed. Apparently, the future didn't have floating automobiles.

Besides, when someone tried to get him started on the concept of cellphones... _Oh god_. It was almost as bad as the music these people listened too. He had just decided to give up music all together. He hadn't enjoyed it that music back then, and it wasn't like he had ever gone dancing.

"_432...433...434_,"

Not that he cared, since he still couldn't find the right partner-

He froze in mid-pushup.

_Peggy_.

Before he could stop it, he was lost in the depths of a flashback.

_"Steve, Steve were are you?" she had said, desperate worry in her voice. _

_"In the air, the plane's headed straight for New York."he had replied. _

_"Well just give me your coordinates and maybe we can find you a safe landing spot." she suggested. He shook his head, realizing the inevitable. He had to do it, there was no alternative. _

_"Peggy...that isn't an option. A lot of people are going to die if I don't get this thing out of the air, fast." he said. _

_A dreadful silence followed as Peggy began to realize what was happening. _

_"I'm gonna have to put her in the water." he said, mostly telling himself. _

_"Wait Steve just give me your coordinates-"_

_"No, there isn't any time."he insisted, as the plane ventured dangerously close to civilization. _

_"Peggy...I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."He said finally, as he began to hear sniffles on the other line. He couldn't stand to hear her cry, it broke his heart. _

_"Okay. Next Saturday, 7 o'clock." she said, and he could hear the strain in her voice, as she tried to be brave. He didn't want to leave her, not now, not ever. _

_"Alright." he said. _

_"Don't you dare be late." she threatened, and he clung to every word, desperate to hear as much of her voice as possible. _

_"I wouldn't dream of it." he said. Then he tilted the wheel downwards, and it started sprinting down towards the ice. _

_"Peggy-"_

_Then blackness._

Steve found himself laying on the hardwood floor, covered in sweat. He could still hear the sound of her voice. He was full of remorse, if only he had listened to her, given her his coordinates...

Then he wouldn't be stuck here, while Peggy long gone, along with the rest of the world.

He sighed, and pulled himself to his feet. Sunlight streamed through the shades of his apartment window, striping the tan couch that he slept on every night. When he could actually fall asleep. That was part of the reason he spent all of his time working out, if he tried hard enough, he wore himself out enough to get six hours of sleep. The other reason... well, he tried not to think about it.

Steve walked across the living room of his apartment, painted freshly with bright yellow walls, that seemed to happy, too fake, and past the kitchen. Which he tried to stay away from, the shiny silver appliances tended to make him feel like he was on a space ship. I mean, they were so, weird. Along with the rest of the planet.

He stopped at his front door to pull on his shoes, heading to the gym. He needed to clear his head, today seemed worse than usual.

"_Come on Steve, it's been six months now, you should be over it_." he told himself, and then laughed. How did anyone have the right to be telling him how to handle things? If it were up to him, he would have just gone ahead and jumped right back into that ocean, freezing himself forever. But no, S.H.E.I.D decided to thaw him out, force him to live in this world, paying for his apartment, all with the hopes that he would decide to join their crazy agency. Yeah right. A few times, he considered reenlisting for the army... but voted against it. It would bring back to many memories.

He opened up his door and walked out into the hallway, meeting his future.

Smacking right into his fate.

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Alice dumped the last of her boxes on the floor and sighed. Finally, she was done bringing all of her belongings into her new apartment, walking up all of those stairs about eight times had worn her out. She was surprised that it had taken her so long, she had never had that much stuff. It wasn't because she couldn't afford it (well, that might be _part_ of the issue) but because she tended to move around a lot lately. She didn't have any family to tie her down, no friends either. Besides, she didn't need anyone else in her life, and no one needed her. It was just that simple.

Alice had moved to Brooklyn, just after graduating from college, and found a job as an intern for this horribly boring stapler company for down the street. Even though it wasn't exactly ideal, she was on the verge of being broke, and the people that owned the place seemed kind of desperate. The minute they offered out that big wad of cash, she immediately accepted. She wasn't usually like that, but she was kinda desperate as well. She just felt like...she needed to be here. She had to be in Brooklyn, it just...spoke to her. If it didn't work out, she would move again and start her live over. Not that she liked to change her world like that so often, she just didn't feel like she had a choice.

She sighed, and walked over to the couch, and collapsed onto it. She was exhausted. So she just laid there for five minutes, finally getting a moment of peace.

Then Alice was interrupted by the sound of loud voices nearby. She strained her ears, and heard..._counting_? Seriously? Someone was keeping her awake so they could _count_.

"_I mean, who does that_?"she thought. She let out a long sigh, and then stomped across the hardwood floors, swinging her front door open, and stormed out into the hallway. She was incredibly annoyed with this person, and was about to give this New Yorker a piece of her mind.

So she didn't look where she was going.

Alice felt herself ram into the body of someone much larger than she was, and her forehead smashed into their nose. She was put off balance and almost landed in the center of the floor, but she quickly caught herself on the side of the plastered wall. Her temple throbbed and she could feel a bruise forming, and she was ready to scream out of frustration.

"All you alright ma'am?" she heard someone ask her.

"_Ma'am_?" she thought. Who says that?

Alice looked up in front of her to see a blonde haired man, about the same height as her, and about twenty three, the same age as her. He looked as if he was built entirely of muscle, and his blue eyes were staring at her with worry.

"I'm fine." she said, for once at a loss of insults. She clutched her forehead, and almost wobbled to the floor. The man quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, and she pulled it away.

"I'm fine." she repeated, this time more strongly. The man backed off, but his deep eyes were filled with concern.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She smiled up at him, sarcastically.

"_Positive_."

"Okay ma'am." he said. She smirked, and he seemed to catch this.

"What's so funny?" he inquired.

"Ma'am?" she said. He sighed, and it seemed to be a heavy gesture, suggesting more.

"Well, my mother always told me that was the proper way to address a lady." he replied. She scoffed, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm no lady."she said. Again, he raised his eyebrows.

"What are you then?" he questioned. This made her laugh involuntarily.

"I guess...a woman. In the least. If you looked too deep into it... An alien probably." she replied, and she saw a smile twitching at the edge of his lips, but something held it back.

"If you don't like ma'am, then I could call you..." he suggested. After a moment she realized he was asking her for her name.

"Alice, Alice Carlton." she answered, and stuck her hand out from him to shake it. To her surprise, he took it instantly, and didn't act like it was an uncommon gesture. His hand was warm and strong compared to her long, slender fingers, and she cold feel the heat radiating off of him.

"Steve Rogers." he said, and she pondered the name.

"Well, Miss Carlton, I apologize for running into you. It was my fault." he said sincerely after their hands separated.

"No, it was mine. I wasn't watching where I was going, I was about to go yell at this person counting next door." she said, and he blushed bright red.

"Wait a minute," she glared at him,"That was you, wasn't it?" he hung his head in shame.

"Unfortunately, Miss Carlton, that is true. I apologize." he said, and she could see him smiling. She gave him a look.

"You are not." she replied. He looked up at her, and his sea blue eyes seemed to smolder.

"I know."

She didn't do anything for a moment but look at him, and then quickly changed her glance to the wall besides her, it suddenly seemed very appealing.

"So...what were you doing anyway?" she asked, trying to change the subject. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Um...pushups." he answered honestly.

"_430_ pushups? Are you in the military or something?" she said. He smiled, as if he was on in an inside joke.

"I used to be." he said, again, his words hinting at a deeper meaning. He stood there, staring at his feet for a few minutes, and she did the same, confused and not knowing what to say. Finally, he spoke.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later." he said, avoiding her gaze.

"Right." she replied, and headed back to her apartments front door. As she began to unlock it, she could hear the sound of Steve's footsteps as he walked past her down and the hallway. Then, for a quick second, Alice found herself slightly staring at him, before stepping into her apartment, and closing the door.


	2. Chapter 2: Dreams

**OK! I think I found the right title, YAY! Thx 2 Rebecca 4 the help! This chapter is kinda short... You have 2 read 2 find out why. ;) **

**R&R! Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 2:**

It was Sunday afternoon, a quarter past 2 AM, and Alice was sitting beside her circular, box covered kitchen table, drinking her coffee. And thinking. Coffee helped her think, and she needed to do a lot of that.

What had happened earlier that day was unexplainable. For once, she had been at a loss of insults and coarse language, which wasn't the norm for anyone that had spent at least 12 hours in New York City. She had lived there for six months. But for some reason, the minute she saw Steve's face, it all just washed away.

And Alice didn't like it.

She felt weak and under the influence of someone else, something that she _hated_. She had to be the person in control at all times, it was a proven fact. Now all of a sudden some guy ticks her off and she let's him off the hook? How did _that_ happen? She shook her head, completely baffled. There was something _different_ about that man... but she didn't know what.

Alice sighed and yelled at herself. Why was this bothering her so much? She didn't have a screaming match with her neighbor, so what? The world wasn't going to end over it! She rubbed the back of her head, and found a nest of hair the size of a bowling ball. She sighed again, and went into her miniature bathroom to take a shower.

Showers helped her think.

**Steve:**

"_Harder_." he thought forcefully, and punched to his last bit of strength until the bag was knocked off its hinges. He backed away, and took a couple deep breaths. Five down, five to go. But it still didn't make a difference.

As he hung up the next punching bag and got back into the zone of nonstop hitting, his mind uncontrollably wandered back to Peggy. He got a horrible wrench in his stomach, as of someone was slicing it open. Everyone he used to know was gone, Bucky, Howard, Peggy. He sometimes wondered why he missed Howard so much, they had never been as close as Bucky and him had been. But somehow, that inventor had stuck to his memory as well. Maybe it was the fact that there was this huge, ugly tower with his name on it that was visible from his window. No, _ugly_ didn't cover it. _Hideous_ might work though.

"_Don't you dare be late_."

Her voice filled his ears and he couldn't push it out, no matter how hard he tried. It was quickly followed by a flash of her smiling face, which burned in his mind, never fading.

But before he could fully lose himself in a flashback he heard the snap of a chain and the bag slammed against the floor, returning him to reality.

He hated it here too.

So he left the bag on the floor and slowly began to walk away, never looking back.

**Alice:**

Her long hair dripped down the side of her neck as she climbed out of the shower, drenched to the bone in steaming water. Her shower had lasted over a half hour, and hadn't further cleared her thoughts about her neighbor (Steve, wasn't it?) or why she hadn't screamed at him. I mean, when she got mad, she _really_ got mad. So why was he the only exception?

Alice pulled on a robe and walked into the living room, grabbing her coffee. She was incredibly tired and had acquired a massive headache, and _really_ needed to lay down, the only thing she wanted to do was sleep...

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_Alice could see deep, dark trenches, filled with shadows that held unknown secrets. She could hear screeching, a chorus of metal clashing together, and as she looked down into the endless cliff, she could see sparks of fire at the very bottom. They were so tiny, and her stomach churned when she realized how far down it must be._

_The screaming got louder and louder, and she was struck with fear when she realized that the noise seemed to be rising up through the trench. Alice took a few steps back, but her gaze never averted from the depths of the blackness, and the two gleaming, red eyes that seemed to be watching her._

And when she woke up, the same eyes were staring her in the face.

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**CLIFFHANGER! HEHE! ;)**

**R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK! So I am like, super shocked and excited by the amount of visitors on this story, it's awesome! Thx 2 all of u guys! Love ya! ;)**

**R&R! Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 3:**

Steve treaded up the staircase slowly, there was no point in reaching the top, so why rush it? It was dark and gloomy as he climbed the concrete steps, no one ever used the stairs anyway, besides him. People these days were so lazy, and he didn't trust the elevators. The dim lights flickered, and he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. He glanced at the edge of the steps, and saw a pile of shattered glass. He cautiously walked over to it, and saw a small picture frame, cracks covering it like spiderwebs. Inside the glass frame was a photograph, filled with flashes of color. But nothing was so bright and noticeable, as they brilliant blue eyes on the character in the center of the picture.

"_Alice_."

Her name came to him so easily, as if he had heard it his entire life, and he shocked himself. But now that he knew who the photograph belonged too, curiosity filled him. He bent down and lifted it up, picking up the daggers of clear crystals and putting them back in their place. Through the faint light, he could see Alice, plain as day, smiling between two people, most likely her parents. They both resembled her greatly, except for the eyes. Theirs were brown, and Alice's were bright blue, like sapphires.

Somehow, this fact bothered him.

Something in the back of his mind was poking at him, but he couldn't identify it. He sat there, crouched down, and examined the sharp pieces for a long time. Finally, he pulled himself up and proceeded to climb the remainder of the flights of stairs, taking the picture with him. He might as well return it to Alice.

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Steve entered the long hallway and stopped outside Alice's door, and wondered what he should do. But just then he was stopped by an ear piercing sound.

He heard something shatter as it hit the ground, and a loud thump as something much larger collided with another object, and then crashed to the floor.

"Hello?"he asked, and knocked on the door. It sounded almost as if...

Shrieking.

Steve broke down the locked door and it smashed to the ground. He rushed into the apartment and scanned the room, and saw Alice sprawled across the hardwood floor, her coffee mug in remains besides her hand. She appeared to be unconscious, and didn't move anything besides her lips, which emitted tiny screams, gaining momentum each second. He ran across the room and over to her, and began to shake her shoulders violently, willing her to wake up. But Alice just screeched louder, as if someone was trying to murder her. Fear stretched across her face, and Steve felt helpless and he shook her harder.

Then finally, Alice's eyes opened. The screams paused for a second as she regained consciousness, but then her turquoise eyes widened at him in terror. She yelped and kicked him in the face, and then backed away quickly until she was up against the wall, panting heavily. He rubbed his chin, even though almost nothing hurt him, he could still feel it.

Alice was shaking and staring intently at a small spot on the ground, her damp chocolate brown hair curtaining her eyes. Steve had no idea what he should do. He had never had much luck with consulting women, much less simply talking to them. But he couldn't just stand there had do nothing.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?" he asked, and she finally removed her gaze from the floorboards and looked him in the face. At that exact moment, he realized that she wasn't wearing anything except for a bathrobe... And Alice realized it too. She leaped to her feet and got up in his face, fuming.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!" she shouted. He backed away, not sure how to approach this.

"I...um.."

She shook her head, and glared at him.

"I don't care! Just GET OUT!" she yelled, poking him in the chest.

"Wait I-"

"NOW!" and she began shoving him out the door. The minute he was outside of the apartment, she slammed the door in his face.

Then he heard her slump to the floor and start sobbing.

Steve just stood there, feeling extremely uncomfortable. But he couldn't leave. He lightly tapped on the door.

"Miss Carlton?" he asked.

"Go away!" she said, and he was about to leave her alone, when the door caved in. He stepped to the side and it crashed into the hallway. He saw Alice hugging her knees, curled in a ball.

She sighed, and slowly stood up. She turned to face him, and he could see her eyes, red and puffy. Red, white, and blue.

"Are you going to fix that?" she demanded, her voice calm.

"Uh, yeah sure. Sorry about that Miss." he said, and picked up the door and forced it back into his hinges.

"Is that good?" he asked.

"Horrible. Now leave me alone before I call the cops on you for breaking into my apartment!" she said sharply.

Steve knew there was nothing he could do, so he just picked up the photograph of Alice from the floor, and went into his own apartment.

Then he taped the picture on his living room wall.


	4. Chapter 4

**OKAY! So I'm pretty sure the last time I wrote this was a few months ago, and for that I greatly apologize! I'm gonna try to write more often in this story!**

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**CHAPTER 4:**

Alice's alarm clock blared, and she turned over in bed. The last thing she wanted to do was get up. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and she couldn't remember why, she couldn't even remember why she had to get up in the first place...

She smacked her fist against her clock, and finally the blaring noise ceased, and she buried her face in her pillow, dozing off.

Alice's eyes flew open.

"_Work_!" she yelled as she tumbled out of bed, crashing onto the floor, tangled up in her sheets. She pushed them off and sauntered over to her closet, feeling rushed and like she was on a hangover. She slipped on black slacks, a gray ruffled shirt, and her black heels, before stumbling over to the bathroom. She groaned in frustration at the sight of her hair, it was disastrous, but after clawing at it for a few minutes the curls looked somewhat decent. She shoved on some bright red lipstick and pitch black eyeliner, and after smearing foundation across her cheeks quickly she almost feel over running into the kitchen.

Alice fumbled with her fridge door while she glanced at the clock on the yellow wall. It was six o'clock, she had exactly thirty minutes to get to work on time.

She chugged some orange juice down her throat, and decided that she would just have to deal with it as she snatched her black purse, stepping out into the hallway, turning to the left.

"_Wrong way_!" she realized instantly, the staircase was on the right, but she had just enough time to watch Steve walk out the door of his apartment, and turn to look at her staring at him.

Alice suddenly remembered everything that had happened yesterday, and she had never felt so furious in her entire life. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she just spun around, stomping down the hallway towards the staircase.

_Unfortunately_, he had to follow her.


	5. Chapter 5: Fine

**I apologize for the previously short chapter, but this one is longer. I saw a beautiful video on Cap on YouTube, which gave me inspiration. Reviews also give me inspiration, so please Review!**

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**CHAPTER 5:**

Peggy, with her dark hair falling in perfect curls around her pale face, her deep red lips, curved sharply in disapproval at the shoulders, or smiling at him whole heartedly. Her eyes, more powerful than any magnet, any electricity, filled to the brim with intense emotion that she could hide from him at a moments notice.

The day that she opened them fully, pouring her eyes into his soul, letting her emotions run free as her soft lips brushed against his...

The crystal clear image of her faded away from his mind, and he found himself staring at his own hands, curled loosely into fists. He lifted his head up, shaking it slightly to try to wipe away the memories, and his gaze rested on the pile of shattered glass on his counter. The photo frame of his strange new neighbor, Alice, the girl who screamed. The girl with blue eyes, chocolate hair, red lipstick...the girl that caused him to remember something, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He sighed and stood up, walking across the room and stopping at the counter, glancing at the photo in the smashed frame. Something about it reminded him of...something. Something that he felt like he needed to find out.

Maybe it was Peggy.

Steve scrunched up his eyebrows, what would make him think that? Alice wasn't anything like her, as far as he could tell. No one was like Peggy, or anyone else that he had known. Everyone in the future was different...completely changed. No one acted the same anymore.

Besides, there was something off about Alice, something wrong with her. That much he could tell. There was something different. She was even more different than the other people he had met here.

There was no way she, or anyone else, could ever remind him of Peggy.

The mental barricade that held in the memories was threatening to collapse again and he jerked his head away, walking out of the apartment. He needed to get out of here. Now. Maybe the gym would help.

Not like it did much anyways.

He stepped out into the hallway, accidentally slamming the door behind him, and then he spotted her out of the corner of his eyes.

Alice was staring at him, only ten feet away, wearing smudged makeup that made her face look disoriented, shoes that showed how clear it was that she was close to falling, and her eyes that looked nothing like Peggy's were filled with surprise and fear.

Steve remembered the sound of her screeching, almost as if she was dying in her sleep. The fear in her eyes told him that she didn't know anything, that she didn't know anything about what was happening to her. That she was scared of the changing.

He knew that look, he was familiar with it. She had the look that he had every time he glanced in the mirror.

It lasted for only a second, but his world had slowed down from the flashbacks, and then her bright eyes turned dark, and she glared at him, spinning around and almost running in the opposite direction.

Steve felt like he needed to ask her questions, make sure that she wouldn't repeat what had occurred last night, because he had been the only one there and he felt obliged too. He felt inclined to protect everyone, anyone, and it didn't matter if they were crazy futuristic people or not. But he paused, unsure of what he would be getting himself into. Then the thought of being alone with his memories again snapped him into action, and he followed her down the hallway.

Alice seemed to have heard his footsteps, and she began to walk faster, widening the distance between them. He ran to catch up, and was a few feet behind her when she put her hand on the door to the staircase.

"Ma'am?!" she twisted around at the sound of his voice, and glared at him silently before shoving open the door open and running in, shutting it behind her.

Steve halted outside the door, a part of him telling him to stop there, but for some reason he pressed on, entering the darkness of the staircase and following her.

He had expected to catch up with her on the way down, but he didn't see her once he reached the bottom. A door slammed up ahead and he walked out of it. The bright sunlight stung his eyes and he covered his eyes, and he saw her heading down the sidewalk.

Steve weaved in and out of people, and finally she stopped. He was right behind her when suddenly she turned around, scowling at her with cold eyes.

"Why are you following me?" she questioned, and for a moment he didn't respond, and then cleared his throat.

"Ms. Carlton...I wanted to make sure that you didn't need a doctor after...what had happened last night." he said, and flames burned in her irises.

"I am _not_ a mental whack job and I don't need to see a doctor, so leave me alone!" she almost yelled, causing people near them to give her weird glances.

"Sure you're not." he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. She turned back around just as a taxi came into view but he grabbed her elbow, his eyes widening. She glared at him darkly, but he didn't let go.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she stared him in the eyes for a second, her lips pressed in a tight, thin line.

"I'm fine." she snapped, and he released her arm, knowing that she couldn't have broken out of it on her own. She jumped into the taxi, slamming the door and glaring straight ahead until it drove out of sight. He watched as it left, shaking his head.

She had told him that she was fine.

It had been a lie.

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**So...please please review! Thanks! :)**


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